Readers Voice Awards – Pets

At The Petropolitan, they don’t call it "daycare." They call it "playcare."

That’s one of the many traits that separate The Petropolitan from other pet-service providers. And difference it precisely why Chris Watts and his three partners decided to open downtown doggie spa.

Watts saw how the others were running businesses for owners of domestic animals and thought he could do it better. And if the amount of business he gets is any indication, he was right.

The Petropolitan opened in December 2006. The owners chose the downtown location because residential building was booming, and no one else was focusing on providing pet care in heart of Dallas’ urban jungle. The business is based on three major tenets: be honest with the customer, don’t nickel and dime clients and treat visiting pets like family.

In case of emergencies, Watts gives his cell number to clients, like the night a customer called at 3 a.m. because he had to leave town to care for his ailing grandmother and needed someone to look after his pooch.

Watts didn’t hesitate. No surprise since Petropolitan provides nearly every pet service you can think of barring veterinary. They offer playcare, extended care, dog walking, drop-off and pick-up, nutritional advice, bathing and grooming. And, Watts says, if there’s something else a customer needs, all they have to do is ask.

The 4,000-square-foot space has held up to 90 dogs at a time in the Asian-decorated tailwagger’s lounge.

Watts evaluates dogs’ sizes and temperaments, which is how staffers decide who plays with whom. The playrooms — which all open to the reception area so that all can be seen and heard — have names like the Zen Pen and the Mini-Zen Pen. And then there’s the Oprah room — for the small dogs who, Watts says, "watch Oprah at 4 p.m. and bark at Dr. Phil when he says something they don’t agree with."